Cards’ victory worth the wait

Associated Press

ST. LOUIS

Matt Carpenter hit a two-run homer after subbing for an injured Carlos Beltran and the St. Louis Cardinals chased Matt Cain before a 31/2-hour rain delay in the seventh inning of a 3-1 victory over the San Francisco Giants on Wednesday night for a 2-1 NL championship series lead.

Kyle Lohse worked around a season-worst five walks in 52/3 innings. Mitchell Boggs struck out Hunter Pence and Brandon Belt with two on to end the seventh. Jason Motte earned his first two-inning save to reward what remained of a sellout crowd of 45,850 — perhaps a third — that stuck around for a game that lasted 3 hours, 2 minutes, about a half-hour shorter than the delay.

Giants second baseman Marco Scutaro had two hits and a clean game in the field, two days after Matt Holliday rammed him breaking up a double-play ball. Manager Bruce Bochy had said there would be no retaliation, and Game 3 was collision-free.

The big winners in a delay that featured about a half-hour without rain while officials awaited a second, smaller front: Beer vendors, by a single out. Alcohol sales are cut off after the seventh inning in all stadiums.

Cain lost for the second time this postseason, giving up three runs on five hits in 61/3 innings. The Giants, who entered the game batting .217 in the postseason, were 0 for 7 with runners in scoring position.

The Cardinals snapped the Giants’ five-game road winning streak in the postseason, three of them this year. Game 4 is in St. Louis tonight, with Adam Wainwright pitching for the Cardinals. Tim Lincecum will start for the Giants.

Carlos Beltran limped to the trainer’s room, taking the St. Louis Cardinals’ biggest clutch October bat with him. Beltran strained his left knee running out a double-play ball in the first and the Cardinals said he was day to day.

Carpenter followed Jon Jay’s two-out single with a homer off Cain in his first at-bat of the NLCS.

Beltran is batting .400 in the postseason with three homers and six RBIs, but Carpenter had big numbers against Cain. He was 4 for 4 for his career against Cain, all singles.